It is currently 1 a.m. and I have no idea what I am going to write about. Excellent start, here we go. It is definitely nice to be home, but it's actually been pretty boring. I cannot wait until I get a job so I can be occupied during the day – and, of course, so I can make some money. I haven't really gotten to hang out with any of my friends yet, so life will also be a little more exciting once I get out of the house. Tomorrow (which will actually be today when you read this) I have a checkup at 12:15 p.m. and then I'll probably go pick up some dry cleaning. Then later in the afternoon I will head up to West Palm Beach for dinner with my grandma and dad. Clearly, an action-filled day is ahead of me. I'm watching "Golden Girls" right now. In this episode, Rose almost marries a man who is actually trying to steal her life savings. Don't worry, she doesn't do it, and wow, I really am bored.

Paula Hyman (left) and parter-in-crime Laura Westmoreland.
The other night I played in a community band and this lady behind me in the trombone section actually tapped me on the shoulder and said, "Are you Paula, from the Cadets?" It was pretty cool. Turns out she was an avid reader of my "YEA! webmoirs" and sent me some fan mail this past summer. What a small world! In case you are lost here, each summer, a few Cadets write daily journal entries called "webmoirs" which are posted online for fans and family to read. Anyway, hello Laura! Some of my friends from Cadets will be doing something pretty amazing in a few months. They call themselves "Team Ithaca" (because they all attend Ithaca College) and they are currently training for a marathon that will occur on May 1 in Cincinnati. They are doing this all for a charity in Ithaca -- what good kids! Let's give you a little background here. Team Ithaca consists of three members. Sarah Paradis: Sarah was a champion euphonium player with the '03 and '04 Cadets and is currently a member of the Cadets administration team for the '05 season. You may also remember her "webmoirs" this past summer. Matthew Haines: Matt, also a fellow webmoir writer in '03 and '04, marched baritone with the Cadets from '01-'03 and was drum major in '04. He is also a current member of the Cadets administration team for the '05 season. William Plenk: Will wasn't chosen to write webmoirs because no one wanted to hear what he had to say, but he did march tuba with the Cadets in '01 and '03 (yep, he's the '03 soloist), and became drum major in '04. He is currently one of two Cadets drum majors and will age out in 2006. These guys are nuts. In a good way. They are extremely dedicated and train almost seven days a week for this marathon, even with snow! After their marathon, maybe I'll have the three of them write a little something describing what it was like to train for and then actually run for 26.2 miles.
I actually watched "American Idol" last night. It was still the auditioning stages. Wow -- what are some of these people thinking? I got a good laugh, though, to say the least. Anyway, It's time for me to go. Have a great week! Paula Hyman is a fourth-year member of the Cadets where she is the mellophone section leader. She is 20 years old and currently single. Originally from South Florida, Paula recently made the move to Allentown, Pa., to work for YEA!, the umbrella organization of the Cadets, Crossmen and the U.S. Scholastic Band Association. She ages out in 2006. Past columns by Paula Hyman: Camp and Florida Paradise awaits me With the new year comes change Cadets camp a success; Time for winter break Notes from a weekend off Banquets, show and tell -- report from a Cadets camp A Cadets camp report Macy's Day extravaganza Your not-so-typical day Trick-or-treating at a band show Trick-or-treating at a band show It's a show day! What's a free day? Rest stop or heaven? The Move to Allentown Welcome back to the real world